LC English study plan
LC English · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Composing (Paper 1) & Reading Comprehension and Functional Writing (Paper 1)
Draft one full Paper 1 composition under timed conditions (2 hours 50 minutes for the paper; practise a single 90-minute sitting) and annotate it for structure, paragraph function and register
Analyse five unseen persuasive or argumentative texts and label the writer's purpose, audience, tone and three rhetorical moves in each
Build a personal editing checklist of eight recurring errors from your own writing and apply it to two drafts
Write one functional writing piece (formal letter, article or speech) in 45 minutes and compare it against a self-made marking scheme
Your checkpoint
A folder of one timed composition, one functional writing piece, and a one-page editing checklist with evidence of two revisions
Composing (Paper 1) & Reading Comprehension and Functional Writing (Paper 1)
Compose three opening paragraphs on different prompts and evaluate which hooks a reader fastest in each case
Answer one full comprehension section (poetry or prose passage with questions) under 45-minute timed conditions and self-mark against the marking scheme
Practise the comprehension question types that carry most marks: language of argument, stylistic effect and inference, writing model answers for ten such questions
Draft a second timed composition choosing a different genre or text type from Week 1 to widen range
Your checkpoint
Ten written model comprehension answers plus one timed comprehension paper scored and error-logged
Composing (Paper 1) & Reading Comprehension and Functional Writing (Paper 1)
Complete a full Paper 1 mock (composition plus comprehension and functional writing) in one 170-minute sitting
Score the mock using official marking criteria and identify the three weakest skill areas by mark loss
Rewrite the lowest-scoring composition paragraph by paragraph, tracking the mark change
Summarise the conventions of at least four functional writing formats (letter, review, article, speech) in notes you can revise from
Your checkpoint
A marked full Paper 1 mock with a written diagnosis of the three weakest areas and one rewritten section
Single Text Study (Paper 2) & Comparative Study (Paper 2)
Read your single text once for plot and character, then reread it noting themes, key quotations and turning points on a chapter-by-chapter grid
Write four exam-style single-text essays on different modes (theme, character, relationship, opening or closing scene) under 50-minute conditions
Select two comparative texts and map their similarities and differences on a comparison grid covering theme, setting, character and style
Draft one comparative paragraph using the point-evidence-link-comparison structure and check it names both texts explicitly
Your checkpoint
A completed single-text quotation and theme grid plus a two-text comparison grid with one model comparative paragraph
Single Text Study (Paper 2) & Comparative Study (Paper 2)
Memorise and test yourself on 20 key quotations from the single text, matching each to a theme and a possible essay prompt
Write two timed single-text essays and mark them against the assessment criteria, noting where analysis stops short of evaluation
Write one full comparative essay under 60-minute conditions comparing the two texts on a shared theme
Identify the three most common comparative question framings and list the structural moves each requires
Your checkpoint
Two marked single-text essays and one marked comparative essay with a quotation self-test score log
Poetry (Paper 2) & Single Text Study (Paper 2)
Study eight prescribed poems, annotating each for theme, imagery, sound, form and tone, and note two quotations per poem
Write four timed poetry essay responses, each focusing on a different poet or a different thematic pairing
Practise the unseen poem question by responding to two unseen poems in 45 minutes each, focusing on first impressions before technical analysis
Revise the single text by re-reading your grids and writing one essay from memory without notes
Your checkpoint
An annotated poetry portfolio covering eight poems plus four marked poetry essays and two unseen-poem responses
Comparative Study (Paper 2) & Poetry (Paper 2)
Write two comparative essays that include poetry alongside prose or drama, practising cross-genre comparison
Complete a full Paper 2 mock (single text, comparative and poetry sections) under 200-minute timed conditions
Self-mark the mock against the criteria and identify which section lost most marks and why
Build a one-page synthesis sheet linking themes across all your texts and poems for quick recall
Your checkpoint
A marked full Paper 2 mock and a one-page cross-text synthesis sheet
Composing (Paper 1) & Reading Comprehension and Functional Writing (Paper 1) & Single Text Study (Paper 2) & Comparative Study (Paper 2) & Poetry (Paper 2)
Sit one full timed Paper 1 and one full timed Paper 2 mock on separate days under exam conditions
Mark both mocks and compare scores against your Week 3 and Week 7 results to confirm improvement
Rewrite the weakest answer from each paper in full, applying the feedback
Finalise revision summaries for every text and poem, condensing each into one page of quotations and key points
Your checkpoint
Two final marked mocks with score comparison against earlier mocks and rewritten weakest answers
Milestones
Week 2: You can produce a structured composition and a functional writing piece in timed conditions and self-mark a comprehension paper accurately enough to identify specific mark-losing habits
Week 4: Your single text is read twice, mapped on a quotation and theme grid, and you can write a 50-minute essay on it without referring to the book
Week 5: You have written at least one full comparative essay and can name both texts and their points of comparison in every paragraph
Week 6: Eight poems are annotated with quotations and you can answer an unseen poem question within the time limit
Week 7: A full Paper 2 mock is completed and marked, with a clear diagnosis of your weakest section
Week 8: Final mock scores in both papers show measurable improvement over Week 3 and Week 7, and every text and poem has a one-page summary